HAL Room
A HAL Room is a secret area in any given Kirby title, where elements of the stage spell out the letters H, A, and L. This is a direct reference to HAL Laboratory, the studio that develops the Kirby series.
To reach a HAL Room, a specific path and/or series of doorways must be taken in a specific stage. These paths are usually hidden and require a discerning eye, specific movement, or just plain patience to reveal. The room itself usually features its own music, and often contains rare Copy Essences, and plenty of Food and other collectibles.
Though these rooms are secret, their locations are usually telegraphed to the player through cryptic screenshots showcased in the credits.
HAL Room Locations
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Kirby's Adventure / Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
In Kirby's Adventure, the series' first HAL Room can be found in Vegetable Valley - Stage 2. When the Warp Star is reached, Kirby has to walk past it, run up against the right end of the screen for a little while, then fly back for a moment. Once the Warp Star platform is out of view, Kirby then needs to go back toward it. If done correctly, the star will be gone, and Kirby will be able to proceed further right to reach the formation of Star Blocks that spell out 'HAL', with a Broom Hatter sweeping on the L-letter blocks (HAL rooms in subsequent games usually have a Broom Hatter on the L blocks). Once Kirby returns to the left, the Warp Star will be there again.
This original HAL Room is actually an unintentional Easter egg, as it was never intended to be seen by players; it is only accessible due to a quirk in how the game loads objects, which causes the Warp Star to disappear as other objects override its data. The HAL letters were likely placed as a fail-safe by a programmer, and as a result, one of the most iconic recurring secrets in the Kirby series was created.
The HAL Room is retained in Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land. However, while it is still present in the stage data, it is not actually accessible; the game loads objects in a different manner, so it is no longer possible to make the Warp Star disappear.
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While not technically a "true" HAL Room, there is a related secret in Level 3, Stage 11 of Block Attack. By heading to the right from the goal and defeating a Topper, the player can continue to find more blocks, including indestructible blue blocks that spell out the HAL letters. Additional breakable blocks and Maxim Tomatoes can be found here.
Kirby Super Star Ultra
In the Illusion Islands stage of Revenge of the King, there is a Post that can be pounded along the route to the castle; this requires inhaling a Rocky found earlier in the stage. Doing so uncovers a Food item and a hidden entrance to another area. In this area, Kirby has to battle Mr. Tick Tock. After defeating him, Kirby can progress to the right, over a wall, and find the HAL logo in Star Blocks. Near the exit door, Kirby can get an Invincible Candy.
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A HAL Room can be found in Cookie Country - Stage 4, in the first area. After reaching the end of the path, Kirby needs to walk all the way to the end of the screen, wait there a short moment, then head back the other way, to find a pillar of land has moved downward to reveal a new doorway. Through this door is a walk to the HAL Room, which contains the Wing, Hammer, Fighter and Ninja abilities. Breaking the Star Blocks that spell HAL also reveal items.
Another HAL Room can be found in Egg Engines - Stage 5, in the third area. A series of conveyor belts at the end of the hall drop a number of Halcandle Dees in front of Kirby and the normal door forward. However, if Kirby bypasses the door and heads up the conveyor belts, he can enter an obscure hole at the back of it to reach a series of cannon firings, and the HAL Room, again made of star blocks. The Whip, Water, Leaf and Spear abilities can be obtained here, which happen to be abilities introduced in this title.
Both HAL Rooms play the Item Challenge remix of "Green Greens".
Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition
In the New Challenge Stages, a hidden doorway in the Normal Challenge leads to a room where the platforms unfold themselves slowly to spell out HAL, and generate some Score Coins. This room plays the original version of "Green Greens", and may rarely play the Kirby's Epic Yarn version instead.
Kirby: Triple Deluxe
The first HAL Room can be found in Fine Fields - Stage 3. To unlock it, Kirby must first walk all the way to the right end of the area, in the background, wait there a short moment, then return to the spot where Kirby first entered the area to find a new 3-D Warp Star. Taking this star places Kirby in an area he couldn't get to before, where he must then walk to the left to find the HAL Room. This room contains the Wing, Leaf, Fighter and Wheel Copy Essences. If the Star Blocks are broken, they reveal a Keychain and Food. This HAL Room plays the title theme from Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition, a remix of "Welcome to Dream Land".
The second HAL Room is found in Royal Road - Stage 1. Following the fight against Gigant Edge, Kirby can find a secret area at the very right of the screen that contains some Point Stars and a Maxim Tomato. If Kirby goes directly up from where the Maxim Tomato was and presses up in front of the moon, he enters an invisible door. The room is behind this door. The HAL blocks are split across the foreground and background in perspective, with the blocks in the background being larger than the ones in the foreground. There are also Copy Essences for the new abilities in this game: Circus, Beetle, Archer, and Bell. It also contains a Keychain, another Maxim Tomato, and several 1-UPs. This room plays "Spring Breeze: Title" from Kirby Super Star Ultra. In Dededetour!, this room contains a Warp Hole, so it is ideal for King Dedede to enter it for a faster time.
The third and final HAL Room can be found in Royal Road - Stage 5, in a special area where Kirby must contend with 3D Securitron Blocks that will box him in. In the third of the rooms, once the blocks stop extending, Kirby must wait next to the door for 86 seconds, which will cause the blocks to retract followed by three more sets of blocks extending, in the shape of the letters H A and L. If Kirby survives this, another door will appear leading to the room. No special music plays in this room.
The second HAL Room in Royal Road
The third HAL Room in Royal Road
A HAL Room in Dededetour!
Kirby Fighters Deluxe
Though not a true HAL Room, when fighting Kracko on Very Hard difficulty, the tiles on Bubbly Clouds' floor read "HAL". This secret was compared to a HAL Room by the developers on Miiverse.
Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe
Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe also features a HAL-related secret, but has no true HAL Room. At the end of C-R-O-W-N-E-D (reprise), there are Musical Coins that spell out "HAL" instead of "DDD" in the normal version of the level.
Kirby: Planet Robobot
The first HAL Room can be found in Patched Plains - Stage 3. At the very front of the train, Kirby must activate the Warp Star, but instead of riding it, he must then backtrack and find an area where he collected a Code Cube. There a new 3-D Warp Star will have appeared to take him into the background, where he will then find a door to another room. This room has a chute with some 1-Ups in it, which is reward enough, but yet another secret passage can be found in this room, which will lead to the HAL Room in question. This room contains Jet, Hammer, Mirror, and Mix Copy Essences, as well as a Maxim Tomato. This room plays "Spring Breeze: Title" from Kirby Super Star Ultra.
The second HAL Room can be found in Access Ark - Stage 1. After defeating the second Security Force, a nook can be found on the wall beside the door to the next room. The nook leads to a big room containing two portraits of President Haltmann. The right portrait has a tear in the top right corner, which Kirby can enter to reach the HAL Room. This particular HAL Room has very large Star Blocks and Copy Essences of the three new Copy Abilities introduced in Planet Robobot (Doctor, ESP and Poison) as well as the elusive Smash Bros. ability. This means this HAL Room also doubles as one of the 5 Smash Bros. rooms. This is also the only HAL room to double as a Smash Bros. room. This HAL Room plays the title theme of Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe.
The third and final HAL Room can be discovered in Access Ark - Stage 4. At the very end, some extending walls will box Kirby in with the goal door. Instead of using this door, Kirby has to wait in this room for 86 seconds. After that time passes, another door will appear which will take Kirby to a room where more extending walls will spell out HAL. The music that plays here is the title theme for Kirby 3D Rumble, a remix of "Welcome to Dream Land".
The first HAL room.
The second HAL room.
The third HAL room.
Team Kirby Clash Deluxe
Though not an actual HAL Room, in Team Kirby Clash Deluxe, the letters HAL can appear on the crates that appear besides Magolor's Shoppe once all weapons and armor have been purchased.
Kirby's Blowout Blast
Similarly, Kirby's Blowout Blast has no true HAL Room, but still has a HAL-related secret. As Kirby defeats each boss in Secret Path, Score Coins appear that spell out the letters "H", "A", and "L", after defeating Masher, Kracko, and Mega Masher respectively.
"H"
"A"
"L"
Kirby Star Allies
There are three HAL rooms in Kirby Star Allies. They are as follows:
| HAL Room locations in Kirby Star Allies Story Mode | |||||
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| Level | Stage | Image | How to reach | Notes | Copy Essence |
| World of Peace - Dream Land | Fruity Forest | 
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First, Kirby and his allies must walk all the way up to where Whispy Woods is, but don't actually initiate the fight (walk up to where his canopy can be seen and the background music fades out). Then, Kirby must backtrack all the way to the beginning of the stage. A door will appear leading to the HAL room. |
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| Fortress of Shadows - Jambastion | Heavenly Hall | 
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In the very last part of the escape, where large chunks of rock are falling down from the sky, Kirby and his friends will need to wait for 86 seconds. A door will then appear leading to this room. The HAL letters in this room are formed using Electro Saw guide wires. | None | |
| Far-Flung Starlight Heroes | Jambandra Base |  
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At the very end of the stage, Kirby and his friends can find a hidden door to this room above the stage exit by 'entering' Popstar as it appears in the background. |
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Additionally, Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go! features special "Pseudo HAL Rooms" that appear when playing as certain Dream Friends. These rooms feature the respective characters' names written with Star Blocks, are often found by solving a difficult puzzle, and play a personalized theme song for each character.
Super Kirby Clash
Similarly to the Kirby Fighters Deluxe example, Super Kirby Clash does not contain a true HAL Room, but still has a HAL-related secret. After purchasing all of Magolor's gear at the Shoppe, there is a random chance that the HAL letters will appear as clouds in the sky in the Port Village. The secret was revealed in a Super Kirby Clash Channel post on July 31st, 2020.
Super Kirby Clash Channel image showing the HAL letters in the clouds.
Kirby Fighters 2
As per with previous spinoffs, Kirby Fighters 2 once again does not contain a true HAL Room. However, during the battle against Waning Crescent Masked Dedede & Waxing Crescent Masked Meta Knight in the Final Chapter of Story Mode: The Destined Rivals, stars forming the HAL letters may briefly twinkle in the sky of the Stage of the Partners. This secret was confirmed in a Kirby JP Twitter post on May 3, 2021.
Trivia
- There are three notable recurring patterns of HAL Rooms based on how to reach them.
- Reach the end of one room and backtrack: This pattern first appeared in Vegetable Valley Stage 2 in Kirby's Adventure. This original HAL Room was placed into the game without the lead designers' knowledge, but similar HAL Rooms in later games were.
- Jump into an obscure doorway: This pattern first appeared in Illusion Islands in Revenge of the King; a main game in Kirby Super Star Ultra. Often, HAL Rooms are hidden through obscure passageways which either represent the dark area of a doorway without the full model, or may be hidden inside suspicious-looking background elements. A good number of these also lead to secret areas that are not HAL Rooms, such as the doorway inside the Moon in the original Kirby's Dream Land and Kirby's Adventure.
- Wait in a room for 86 seconds: This pattern first appeared in Royal Road Stage 5 in Kirby: Triple Deluxe. The number 86 is a reference to the Japanese pronunciation of HAL (ハル), which can also be separated into 8 (ハ) and 6 (ル). Although a HAL Room does not physically appear in Kirby Fighters 2, there exists a secret that involves waiting for 86 seconds on the Options menu regardless.
- Since Kirby: Triple Deluxe, HAL Rooms usually play a variation of "Welcome to Dream Land".
